Futurelawyer

VR MovieMaking - The Lion King Lives Again

Disney%u2019s New %u2018Lion King%u2019 Is the VR-Fueled Future of Cinema | WIRED. We spend a pleasant time yesterday watching the grandkids get introduced to VR through my new Oculus Quest headset and controllers. They were immersed in using light sabers to punch out and slash virtual targets in a virtual world. When the new Lion King movie comes out, it will have been created with a combination of live action and virtual cameras and equipment controlled by cameramen and directors wearing similar headsets and moving the equipment around a virtual world to get the perfect shot. Human ability to move around in a virtual fantasy world is changing the way we are entertained, just as it has changed the way Doctors operate, industries create, and the future is limitless.

Game Changer...Optical Zoom In A Phone

We Hope Samsung%u2019s New 5x Optical Zoom Lens Ships With the Galaxy Note 10 %u2013 Droid Life. As any serious photographer will tell you, the big advantage in lugging an SLR around these days is the ability to get glass that has optical zoom. I carry a Canon around with a 35mm to 400 mm compact zoom that can put me right on a subject hundreds of yards away. Until now, we have been stuck with cameras that, although the sensors are collecting a lot of data, are looking through lenses that can't zoom optically. They are limited to digital, computer generated, zoom that creates degraded images at distance. Boo. Hiss. If the new Samsung Note 10 actually includes a 5X optical zoom, I will run, not walk, to the bank to get the money. Please, Samsung, please, please.

FutureLawyer Gets Engaged!

I am pleased to announce my engagement to this beautiful, kind, loving, sweet, genuine, good woman on February 15, 2019. 

Using The Stylus To Take Photos With The Note 9

I am having fun playing with the Note 9 and its unique stylus. Take the stylus out of the phone, and several options pop up, such as note taking, editing, and other great functions. I am not an artist; but, a person with artistic talent could have a lot of fun drawing of the huge 6.4 inch screen. But, by far, my favorite feature, given that I am a serious amateur photographer, is the ability to push a button on the stylus to take a photo. No more fumbling with your thumb on the screen. I can always use the Miggo Pictar device I have written about before, which is a camera grip with a shutter button and works great. However, it is very cool to frame a photo when you aren't even holding the phone, and press a button on the stylus to shoot. 

Optical Zoom Lens In A Smartphone? Wow.

Samsung Could Finally Beat Google with This Camera Breakthrough. I have been a serious amateur photographer for many years. I have a home darkroom, that became obsolete when film gave way to digital imaging. However, I have spent many hours processing negative and slide film, although positive slide processing and printing was my specialty. I love the new digital SLR's, which have become less bulky. Zoom lenses, however, are big and unwieldy; but, you need an optical zoom for the best images. I have compromised, and use an 18 mm to 400 mm zoom on my Canon body, which allows me to get just about any image I want. Smartphones, however, are making great strides, and someday in the not too distant future, Samsung's acquisition of a small Israeli startup might change the game forever. The company is Corephotonics, which has developed a zoom lens that fits inside the smartphone, by using prisms to direct light to the phone sensor. This would make the digital zoom obsolete, and bring true zoom capability to the average smartphone. Someday you might be able to put the heavy camera gear away with your darkroom equipment. Now, get out there and shoot some images with the camera you already have. It is the best one.

#ParrotSunday - Anhinga

This guy lives on Bay Lake, 4 blocks from the house. The island in the middle of the lake (more like a pond) serves as a rookery for dozens of seabirds and Florida native birds. Sunset is a glorious time; but, I got this photo 5 years ago in the early morning. Life is full of beauty. You just have to look for it.

Essential PH-1 Is Dead - Long Live Essential PH-1

Essential PH-1 discontinued, company reportedly working on its %u201Cnext mobile product%u201D | Digit.in. The fact that Essential has discontinued the PH-1 to work on a new product is just another reason to buy the best camera for the price available. Of course, the problem is that you have to find one. The phone has a great camera, and I bought it because it had the latest version of Android, was small and compact, and had an edge to edge screen and 126 GB of storage. It has been my backup phone for a while now; but, lately, it is my go to digital camera. It marries well with the Pictar camera handle, and makes a great adjunct to my Canon T6 SLR. When I don't need the long lens, and am out and about, the Essential PH-1 - Pictar combo is the only camera I need. If you can find one, buy it. Andy Rubin has promised it will even be upgraded to Android Q when available. Not bad for an orphan phone.

#TBT - When The Judge Wants To Play With Your New Digital Camera

Circa 2003. Actually, the images weren't bad for an early 2 megapixel camera. 

Mirrorless Android Camera That Uses Canon Lenses

This new mirrorless camera runs Android and supports Canon lenses. I spent an enjoyable day at Zoo Tampa yesterday, and tried out the Miggo Pictar device that makes using a smartphone camera feel a lot like using a traditional DSLR. However, the pairing suffers from the same disease that all Smartphone cameras have, which is the lack of a decent optical zoom. The biggest mistake most amateur photographers make is not filling the screen with the subject of their photograph, and digital zooms just don't cut it. With a 28mm to 400 mm zoom lens, I can pretty much nail any image I want, and zoo photography is ideal for such a lens. If I can get physically close enough to my subject, I can live with the quality of images from a modern smartphone (see photo attached from yesterday's zoo visit); and, the Pictar makes the experience much better. It is light, easy to carry around, and the images get sent to the cloud as soon as I take them. So, this new Android based camera that will accept all my lenses would be pretty cool. It remains to be seen whether this becomes a real product. 

Priceless

Longoria jersey. Check. Nora Ephron's latest book. Check. Pinot Noir. Check. Smartphones. Check. Tablet computer. Check. 

Ready for baseball. Priceless.